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Federal Way police arrest two suspects in double shooting near park

Federal Way police process a Dodge Magnum for evidence Thursday after a shooting near Alderdale Park, near Southwest 340th Place and 26th Avenue Southwest. Two teens were injured and two fled the area after what police believe was a drug deal gone awry. A 17-year-old and 15-year-old were arrested Friday morning in Kent in connection with the shootings.

— image credit: Kyra Low

Federal Way police arrested two suspects Friday morning in connection with the shooting of two people during an apparent drug transaction gone wrong near Alderdale Park Thursday afternoon.

The suspects, a 15-year-old Federal Way boy and a 17-year-old Covington boy, were located in Kent and booked into the King County Juvenile Detention Center for investigation of first-degree assault just before 9 a.m. Friday. No further details were being released about the arrest.

The shooting sent two teenagers to the hospital Thursday after what police believe was a drug transaction near Southwest 340th Place and 26th Avenue Southwest.

At approximately 2:36 p.m. four gunshots were heard, neighbor Max Snyder said.

Two victims — one 19-year-old black male from Kent and one 17-year-old black male from Federal Way — were hospitalized. The older male was sent to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle with life-threatening injuries, Federal Way police spokesman Raymond Bunk said Thursday night. The younger male may have left the scene seeking help before arriving at the hospital with non-life threatening injuries, Cathy Schrock, police Supports Services and Records manager, said.

The older victim was in critical condition Friday morning, Bunk said. The other victim suffered non-life-threatening wounds and was treated and released.

The identities of the victims have not been released, but Bunk said they had spoken to police and provided information on the suspects, who apparently knew the victims.

Three helicopters and a police K-9 team searched the area for the two suspects who fled on foot Thursday.

Police processed a navy Dodge Magnum for evidence. It was unclear Thursday how the vehicle is linked to the shooting, Bunk said. A red vehicle was also seen in the area around the time of the shooting, neighbors said.

Several neighbors feel the incident was months or years in the making.

For the past three years neighbors have suspected drug deals were taking place in and around the park, neighbor Ken Philbrick said. It was almost a nightly thing, he said.

Snyder has lived in the neighborhood since 1987, but has only, within the past few years, noticed problems, she said. Snyder and several neighbors regularly call police about the issues, she said. Another neighbor living nearby the park, who preferred not to give her name, heard the gunshots shortly after her children arrived home from school. The presence of gunshots and crime seem to have increased in the past five months, she said.

"We've been hearing a lot of gunshots in this area," she said.

Police were not able to say if the park is known for its crime. It was not known if drugs were recovered at the scene. But police believe all those involved knew one another.

"We don't believe this was a random act," Bunk said.

He was unable to give any information as to whether the incident may have been gang related. As a precaution, Decatur High School and Brigadoon Elementary were put on lock down.

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